3 Navy ships named in honor of Marines

Written by Gary Robbins
5:38 p.m., Jan. 4, 2012
Updated 8:38 p.m.

The Pentagon says, Col. John Glenn "flew 59 combat missions during World War II and a combined 90 missions over the course of two tours in the Korean War." — NASA

The three Mobile Landing Platform ships that General Dynamics NASSCO will build in San Diego have been given names that honor Marines and a historic Marine Corps training facility.

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus says the first ship, which is now under construction, will be named Montford Point for the North Carolina facility where about 20,000 African American Marines were trained over seven years, starting in 1942.

The second ship will named after Col. John Glenn, a former Marine Corps fighter pilot who became the first American to orbit Earth during the flight of Friendship 7 in 1962. Glenn also flew on the space shuttle Discovery and served in the U.S. Senate.

The third ship will bear the name Lewis B. Puller, honoring

Lt. Gen. Lewis "Chesty Puller, identified by the Pentagon as the most decorated Marine in history. He was awarded five Navy crosses.

The 765-foot MLP is a new class of Navy auxiliary ship that will serve as a dock at sea, allowing the Navy and Marines to transfer large amounts of equipment and vehicles to shore.

Last year, Mabus caused a flap when he named a Navy cargo ship that's being built at NASSCO after Cesar Chavez, the late labor and civil rights leader. U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, said, "Naming a ship after Cesar Chavez goes right along with other recent decisions by the Navy that appear to be more about making a political statement than upholding the Navy’s history and tradition.

“If this decision were about recognizing the Hispanic community’s contribution to our nation, many other names come to mind, including Marine Corps Sgt. Rafael Peralta, who was nominated for the Medal of Honor for action in Iraq. Peralta is one of many Hispanic war heroes — some of whom are worthy of the same recognition."

To date, a ship has not been named after Peralta, a San Diego Marine who was awarded the Navy Cross posthumously after he smothered a grenade during house-to-house combat in Fallujah, Iraq.

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/...honor-marines/